"Moderate" Fatah Also Firing Rockets

by Khaled Abu Toameh • July 9, 2014 at 5:00 am

Fatah has several hundred militiamen in the Gaza Strip, some of whom are members of the Palestinian Authority security forces, who continue to receive their salaries from Western governments.

At least two Fatah armed groups announced that they had started firing rockets at the "settlements" of Ashkelon and Sderot, cities inside the pre-1967 borders of Israel, with another Fatah group claiming responsibility for firing 35 rockets into Israel since Sunday.

So far as Abbas is concerned, "it all started when Israel fired back" in response to hundred of rockets fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip during the last few days. He seems concerned that if the world hears about the role of Fatah in the rocket attacks, the news will affect Western financial aid to the Palestinian Authority, which dominated by Fatah.

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile defense system launches a missile to intercept a rocket fired from Gaza. (Image source: IDF)

Palestinian Authority President and Fatah head Mahmoud Abbas on Monday called for an "immediate cessation" of Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.

But Abbas stopped short of calling for an end to rocket attacks on Israel, an omission of what triggered the current round of fighting.

Instead of calling on his partners in the "national consensus" government -- Hamas -- to stop their rocket attacks on Israel, Abbas appealed to the international community to "intervene" to stop the Israeli "escalation."

So as far as Abbas is concerned, "it all started when Israel fired back" in response to hundreds of rockets that were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip during the past few days.

Why did Abbas refrain from condemning or calling for an end to the rocket attacks?

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